Now getting to see Raymond through eight games and daily practices, McLellan is understanding how good a player Raymond is, and can be in the future.

The Detroit Red Wings return home both a bit deflated and encouraged. They take a three-game winless streak against Atlantic Division rival Montreal Canadiens on Thursday after a day off that will allow them to decompress from playing four games on a six-day trip.

From afar, before he took his current job, Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan was certain about one thing when it came to Lucas Raymond. He knew that the kid was a real talent.

Raymond scored a power-play goal on three shots and went minus-1 in Saturday's 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay. Raymond recorded his fifth power-play goal of the campaign at 14:12 of the middle frame, but that was all Andrei Vasilevskiy would allow on a night in which Detroit almost doubled up Tampa Bay in shots on goal.

Per NHL EDGE stats, Raymond leads the League in midrange goals this season (12; had nine such goals all of last season) and is in the 95th percentile in midrange shots on goal (44). Raymond also ranks highly among forwards in total skating distance (118.89 miles; 88th percentile) and top shot speed (89.87 miles per hour; 83rd percentile).

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan’s approach on playing younger players is evident in the words he chooses to describe his plans for them. He seems genuinely excited to see what Elmer Soderblom can do tonight against Philadelphia.

Coach Todd McLellan saw the Red Wings' seven-game winning streak end, but he didn't pull any punches in his honest assessment of his team's problems.

Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan wasn't happy with their poor net presence in Saturday night's 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Todd McLellan didn't cushion his opinion after watching the Detroit Red Wings lose for the first time in eight games. The Wings (20-19-4) head on their first extended road trip under McLellan tarnished by a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks that basically reinforced McLellan's concerns from the previous game.

This season, the Detroit Red Wings are discovering what a lot of people learn the hard way. Threesomes may look good on paper, but often, the dream doesn’t equal the reality.

During his six-game point streak, the winger has racked up three goals, eight assists and six power-play points. He's cruising on offense, as many of the Red Wings' top performers have been since Todd McLellan took over as head coach.

Todd McLellan has coached too many good teams to celebrate a ... highlighted by a tic-tac-toe from Lucas Raymond to Alex DeBrincat to Dylan Larkin to open the scoring. The unit is clicking at better than 50 percent since McLellan took over, and now ranks ...